Newsletters: Newsbites

SANS NewsBites is a semiweekly high-level executive summary of the most important news articles that have been published on computer security during the last week. Each news item is very briefly summarized and includes a reference on the web for detailed information, if possible.

Spend five minutes per week to keep up with the high-level perspective of all the latest security news. New issues are delivered free every Tuesday and Friday.

Grid Security Concerns (July 2, 2014)

Some experts are saying that the addition of wind farms, solar panels, and smart meters to the power grid add points at which attackers could infiltrate and attack the country's energy grid. There have been documented attacks on the power grid that damaged equipment, disrupted service, and required long term repairs. An Ernst & Young survey of 61 power and utility companies found that one-third report spending at least US $3 million a year on information security, which includes protecting systems from cyber attacks. -http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-01/renewable-energy-s-expansion-exposing-grids-to-hacking.html

SEC Investigating Companies' Handling of Cyber Attacks (July 1, 2014)

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched multiple investigations into companies regarding their handling and disclosure of cyber attacks. The investigations aim to find out whether the companies took adequate precautions with data and whether they informed their customers of the breach and its likely effects. Public companies are required to tell investors when there are events that materially affect share price. -http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-02/hacked-companies-face-sec-scrutiny-over-disclosure.html

Flaws in New Oracle Database "Data Redaction" Feature (July 2, 2014)

Renowned security expert David Litchfield has found a vulnerability in a new feature of Oracle databases that was intended to improve data security. The feature, known as data redaction, allows database administrators to edit out or mask data in SQL query results so users see only what they are authorized to see. Litchfield says the feature can be circumvented in several ways. He notified Oracle about the flaws in November 2013, and the company is working on a patch. Litchfield will present details of his findings at the Black Hat USA conference in August. -http://www.darkreading.com/application-security/database-security/researcher-finds-flaws-in-key-oracle-security-feature/d/d-id/1279078?

ISPs File Complaint Against GCHQ Over Alleged Spying (July 2, 2014)

Seven Internet service providers have filed a complaint against GCHQ regarding allegations that the British intelligence agency broke into their networks to conduct surveillance. The complaint filed with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal calls for GCHQ to stop targeting system administrators to gain access to networks. The complaint was prompted by reports that GCHQ had targeted employees of Belgacom to gain access to the telecommunications company's network. They were allegedly targeted not because they posed any sort of security threat, but because they were administrators for a network that intelligence wanted to infiltrate. -http://www.wired.com/2014/07/gchq-illegal-spying/

John Pescatore was Vice President at Gartner Inc. for fourteen years. He became a director of the SANS Institute in 2013. He has worked in computer and network security since 1978 including time at the NSA and the U.S. Secret Service.

Shawn Henry recently retired as FBI Executive Assistant Director responsible for all criminal and cyber programs and investigations worldwide, as well as international operations and the FBI's critical incident response. He is now president of CrowdStrike Services.

Stephen Northcutt teaches advanced courses in cyber security management; he founded the GIAC certification and was the founding President of STI, the premier skills-based cyber security graduate school, www.sans.edu.

Dr. Johannes Ullrich is Chief Technology Officer of the Internet Storm Center and Dean of the Faculty of the graduate school at the SANS Technology Institute.

Ed Skoudis is co-founder of CounterHack, the nation's top producer of cyber ranges, simulations, and competitive challenges, now used from high schools to the Air Force. He is also author and lead instructor of the SANS Hacker Exploits and Incident Handling course, and Penetration Testing course.

Michael Assante was Vice President and Chief Security Officer at NERC, led a key control systems group at Idaho National Labs, and was American Electric Power's CSO. He now leads the global cyber skills development program at SANS for power, oil & gas and other critical infrastructure industries.

Mark Weatherford is a Principal at The Chertoff Group and the former Deputy Under Secretary of Cybersecurity at the US Department of Homeland Security.

William Hugh Murray is an executive consultant and trainer in Information Assurance and Associate Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Sean McBride is Director of Analysis and co-founder of Critical Intelligence, and, while at Idaho National Laboratory, he initiated the situational awareness effort that became the ICS-CERT.

Rob Lee is the SANS Institute's top forensics instructor and director of the digital forensics and incident response research and education program at SANS (computer-forensics.sans.org).

Tom Liston is a Senior Security Consultant and Malware Analyst for InGuardians, a handler for the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center, and co-author of the book Counter Hack Reloaded.

Dr. Eric Cole is an instructor, author and fellow with The SANS Institute. He has written five books, including Insider Threat and he is a founder with Secure Anchor Consulting.

Mason Brown is one of a very small number of people in the information security field who have held a top management position in a Fortune 50 company (Alcoa). He leads SANS' efforts to raise the bar in cybersecurity education around the world.

David Hoelzer is the director of research & principal examiner for Enclave Forensics and a senior fellow with the SANS Technology Institute.

Gal Shpantzer is a trusted advisor to CSOs of large corporations, technology startups, Ivy League universities and non-profits specializing in critical infrastructure protection. Gal created the Security Outliers project in 2009, focusing on the role of culture in risk management outcomes and contributes to the Infosec Burnout project.

Alan Paller is director of research at the SANS Institute.

Brian Honan is an independent security consultant based in Dublin, Ireland.

David Turley is SANS operations manager and serves as production manager and final editor on SANS NewsBites.

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